Tassi Savannah Camp

Tassi, in Loango National Park, is one of the last few places on earth where large mammals can still roam freely on the beach. Maybe that explains why it’s only in Gabon that hippos have been seen swimming in the surf. Here, during the rainy season, buffalos and forest elephants can often be found grazing on the coastal grasslands and the beach. Occasionally, families of gorillas can also be spotted foraging in the trees alongside the beach. Many of the Gabonese beaches provide a significant habitat for migrant shorebirds, including African skimmers and Damara terns, whose numbers are quickly diminishing across the rest of Africa.

Camp Tassi is located on the savannah, surrounded by primary and secondary forest. The wide-open vistas here will give you a much more classical ‘Africa feel’, not easily found elsewhere in densely forested Central Africa. It’s a place where you can catch the ocean breeze and, from the same position, watch the sun rising over the savannah and forest in the east every morning, and sinking below the Atlantic horizon in the west every evening.

An amazing patchwork of landscapes …

Feel at one with nature in the middle of the savannah looking out over the coastal grasslands towards the ocean. While relaxing on the private terrace of your tent or enjoying a drink in the restaurant there’s always a chance of seeing some elephants and buffalos on the beach. Some have spotted wild chimpanzees around the camp, and every now and then a curious elephant might even come poking in!

This attractive patchwork of savannah, forest, swamp, and small coastal lagoons in proximity to an endless stretch of beach is also perfect for turning adventurous. Discover the camp’s various surroundings on one of our guided walks, cycle on the beach or kayak on Louri Lagoon.

… and a gorilla & chimpanzee habituation programme

Take the 4x4 and visit the research camp of the Max Planck Institute in Tassi Sud, 30 minutes from
Camp Tassi. From here, researchers go out into the forest to carry out studies amongst the shy, elusive gorillas and chimpanzees. This also acclimatises the animals gradually to the presence of humans in the vicinity. In future, this habituation programme will allow a controlled form of tourism to track and view the gorillas and chimpanzees, while at the same time allowing researchers to
gather data on all aspects of their behaviour and ecology.

A C T I V I T I E S

• Various walks in diverse surroundings
• Hike to Akaka Bush Camp (5 hours)
• Kayaking on Louri Lagoon
• Visits to archaeological sites (during the dry season)
• Beach cycling (depending on the tide)
• Beach barbeque